Inertia actuated device



May 4, 1943- W. s. DIEHL 2,317,982

INERTIA ACTUATED DEVICE' Filed April 18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l BY WL/4Z ATTORW 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvENToR Wa /z/ef jl// BYg/Vu ATTORN May 4, 1943. w. s. Dil-:HL

. INERTIA' ACTUATED DEVICE Filed April 18, 1941 Patented May 4, 1943 INERTIA ACTUATED DEVICE Walter S. Diehl, Washington, D. C., assigner to Specialties Development Corporation, Bloomfield, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application Apr-111s, 1941, serial Np. 389,206

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to automatically responsive control devices, and more particularly to improvements in inertia actuated control devices.

When airplanes, motor cars, speed boats or other vehicles or craft, which usually travel at a. high rate of speed and are propelled by internal combustion engines,'are subjected to a sudden violent impact or shock, the fuel supply carried by the 'vehicle or craft may come in contact with hot parts of the engine and may be ignited. In order to eliminate or greatly minimize this hazard, various safety devices have been provided which, for example, shut oif the fuel supply to the engine, shut off the ignition, or effect operation of a fire extinguishing system.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved inertia or impact actuated devices for controlling the operation of any of the heretofore known safety devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide inertia actuated devices of the foregoing character which are simple in construction, effective in operation, and can be manufactured economically.

Another object of the invention is to provide inertia actuated devices which are readily adjusted to operate in response to impacts varying in intensity over a wide range.

A further object of the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the parts of the device, whereby the foregoing objects and advantages are accomplished.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the more detailed description of the invention proceeds.

The invention will now be more fully explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational View, illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, illustrating still another embodiment of the invention.

In accordance with the invention, it has been found that the inertia of a weighted member can be utilized to pull a cable or the like, which in turn is adapted to actuate or effect the actuation of a safety or control device. This is accomplished herein by providing swingable or sling-like means for supporting the weighted member, including a cable which is attached to the weighted member. A sudden impact or shock Will cause the inertia of the weighted member to move with respect to the base of the supporting means, whereby the swingable or sling-like supporting means are deflected from their original position. The amount of deflection of the supporting means is limited so that a further tendency of the weighted member to continue in its path of movement will cause the weighted member to move away from the tip of the swingable or sling-like supporting means and exert a pulling force on the cable. If desired, suitable adjustable resilient means may be associated with the cable for partially resisting the pull. Also, adjustable counterbalancing means may be associated with the cable for determining the pulling force required to actuate the safety devices.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown a substantially spherical shaped-upper or main casing I0 and a lower or auxiliary casing ll attached to the underside of the casing I0 for housing the inertia actuated devices about to be described. An upright member I2, which may be in the form of a tubular sleeve having a flange I4, is secured to the interior bottom wall of the casing I0 and provides a support for certain parts of the inertia responsive devices.

At the upper end of the member I2, one end of an elongated flexible member l5 is secured. The member l5 may be formed of resilient material and may be in the form of a rubber tube or, if desired, the member l5 may be a cylindrical spiral spring of suitable flexibility. The member I5, for purposes which will be apparent upon further description of the invention, preferably, is foldable or bendable upon itself, but has a sufficient stiffness to prevent it from collapsing and is adapted to be self-supporting, although tilted and bent over. The member I5 may be sling-like or whip-like in action, and its free end I6 is adapted to swing in any direction with respect to the other end I1 secured to the upright member l2.

The member I5 serves as a support for a weighted member 20 which may be spherical or may have any other desired shape. The Weighted member 20 is positioned adjacent the free end I6 of the member I5 and is heldin that position by a cable 2l having one of its ends 22 attached to the weighted member.

The cable 2| extends lengthwise with respect inafter. By the term cable as used herein and` in the claims is meant a pull cord, string, rope, chain, Wire or the like. Preferably, the cable is formed of a ilexible wire, and to minimize twisting strains it comprises two sections or lengths of wire connected to each other by suitable swivels 25.

is adjusted. During normal conditions of travel of the craft orvehicle, the weighted member 20 The lower end 26 of the cable is operatively connected to resilient means, for example, to one end of a spring 21 located in the lower casing Il. The other end 28 of the spring 2 is suitably attached to the free end of a screw member 39 threaded through the bottom wall of the casing Ii. 'Ihe other end of the screw member extends outwardly from the casing il, and is provided with a head or nut 3i adapted to be manually engaged to rotate the screw member either inwardly or outwardly with respect to the casing and thereby adjust the tension of the spring. The spring 2l serves to partially resist the pulling eiIect oi' the weighted member li120 on the cable 2 i.

The cable 2i, upon being pulled, is adapted to actuate or effect operation of an electrical switch, a valve or a latch mechanism 35, located in the casing Il, which inl turn is adapted to directly or indirectly operate one or more safety devices (not shown). To accomplish this, an actuating lever36, or the like, is provided having one end operatively connected to the cable 2i adjacent its lower end 24, and, preferably, a stop 3l is provided beneath the lever 36 against which the lever normally is urged by the downward pull of the spring 27 on the cable.

The force with which the cable 2i is required to be pulled to cause it to actuate the switch, valve or latch means 35, may be further adjusted by a counterbalancing device d0 located in the lower casing H. Such a device may comprise a lever or beam di which is pivoted between its ends at l2 to provide a pair of lever arms d3 and The end of the arm 53 is operatively connected to the cable 2i at a point above the control device operating lever 36. The other arm I4 of the counterbalancing lever supports a slidable weight or counterpoise 45 adapted to be placed in various positions along the length of the arm 44 to adjust the moment of force assisting upward pulling of the cable. It will be understood that the counterbalancing device could also be arranged so that it assists the spring in resisting upward ,pulling of the cable. The coun- 'terbalancing device may also be arranged so that the inertia of the weight 45 is effective to assist the weighted member 20 in operating the control device 35 in the event of a crash.

, The actuating device embodying the present invention preferably is installed in a craft or vehicle at a location where it will be most readily affected in the even of a crash. It is also desirable to have the device at a location where it can be adjusted or inspected from time to time. To facilitate adjustment and inspection, the casings I0 and I I may be provided with transparent windows or suitable doors for permitting access to the parts within the casings.

In operation, the tension of the spring 21 is adjusted by operating the screw member to determine the load resisting movement of the cable 2l in a direction to operate the lever 35. Ifthe` actuator is provided with a counterbalancing device, the weight 45 on the arm I4 also causes the bendable member I5 to bend upon itself and droop over as shown in full lines in Figure 1. If the craft or vehicle should stop too suddenly, or violently contact another body, or crash to the ground, as in the case of an airplane, the inertia of the weighted member deects the bendable member i5 with a whip or sling-like action to, or beyond, the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1. As the Weighted member travels in a substantially curvilinear path and further bending is resisted by the member i5, the weighted member tends to continue to travel in its path of movement and is cast away a slight distance from the free end of the member i5 to exert a pulling force on the cable. Ii the impact. of the crash is of an intensity which might cause a fire or promote other hazards, the inertia of the weighted member will be sulcient to pull or jerk the cable with a force adapted to overcome the tension load of the spring 2l and operate the lever 36 which effects operation of a suitable safety device.

In some instances it may be desirable to normally position the bendable member I5 in upright position as shown in broken lines. Upon the occurrence of a crash or impact, the member may be deflected in any downward direction with a short snap like motion, whereby the inertia of the weighted member causes the weighted member to pull or jerk the cable to operate the lever 35.

In Figure 2, the swingable or sling-like means are illustrated in the form of a exible or bendable member i5' comprising a series of suitable beads i3 through which the cable or wire 2l' is strung. The beads, preferably, are substantially vspherical in shape and are made of steel, bronze or other suitable metal or material adapted to withstand wear, are formed with a smooth surface, and may be lubricated to decrease friction between contacting bead surfaces.

A Weighted member 20 is attached to the outer end of the string of beads, the inertia of which is adapted to pull the cable when the device is subjected to a sudden impact. The other end of the string of beads is operatively connected to a supporting sleeve or pedestal l2', by attaching a socket i3 to the top of the pedestal I2', in which the end bead la is disposed to provide, in eilect, a ball and socket joint. v

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 3, wherein the swingable or flexible means are illustrated as a universally pivoted arm 5B, supported by a lateral arm 5I rotatably mounted on an upwardly extending sleeve or column 52. One end of the arm 50 is pivoted at 53 to one end of a shaft 54 rotatably mounted within one end of the arm 5| by a suitable bearing 55 permitting rotation of the arm 50 about the longitudinal axis of the arm 5|. The other end of the arm 5i is mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane about the column 52 by a suitable turret member 56 having suitable bearing surfaces for cooperating with complementary bearing surfaces on the upper end of the column. l

At the free and downwardly disposed end of the arm 50, a weighted member 20 is provided which is operatively supported by a cable 2|" extending lengthwise with respect to the arms 50 and 5I and the column 52. Preferably, the cable extends through 'tubular conduits provided in these members.

In operation, an impact causes the weighted member 20", due to its inertia, to swing upwardly with the arm l in any direction and/or to cause the arm I to rotate about the column Il. I'he weighted member will travel in a curvilinear path, and its inertia will tend to move it away from the end of the arm 50 to exert a pulling iorce on the cable, adapted to ei'iect operation of a lever 38 and a control device Il, as shown and described in connection with Figure 1.

From the foregoing description it lwill be seen that the present invention provides a simple and eiIective inertia actuated control device which is constructed of a minimum' number of parts adapted to be assembled in an expedient manner'. 'Ihe device is readily adjusted to respond to impacts of intensities varying over a wide range. 'I'he device eliminates the use of complicated or delicate parts which require frequent adjustment and repair. 'I'he device is rugged in construction, and can readily withstand any rough usage to which it may be subjected.

While my invention has been described with specific reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that this invention involves certain principles oi construction, operation and use which may be embodied in and carried out by numerous other physical forms of apparatus without departing from these principles and features of construction. It is to be understood, therefore, that the physical forms disclosed in the drawings have been given for purposes of illustration and are not presented in any limiting sense. The scope oi the invention has been defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support, a weighted member, normally stationary ilexible sling means for supporting said weight member at one end and mounted on its other end on said support, a. cable extending lengthwise along said sling means and attached to said member, and means adapted to be actuated by said cable; said member, in response to inertia, being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means.

2. In a device of the class described, the com- -bination of a weighted member, swingable means for supporting said member including a cable attached to saidmember, means adapted to be actuated by said cable, said member, in response to inertia being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means, and a counterbalancing device operatively associated with said cable for determining the pull on said cable required to actuate said last means.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a weighted member, swingable means for supporting said member including a cable attached to said member, means adapted to be actuated by said cable, said member, in response to inertia being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means, and a counterbalancing device operatively associated with said cable i'or determining the pull on said cable required to actuate said last means, said counterbalancing device including means for adjusting the required pull on said cable.

4. In a device ot the class described, the combination of a weighted member, swingable means for supporting said member including a cable attached to said member, means adapted to be actuated by said cable, said member, in response to inertia, being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means, resilient means operatively associated with said cable to partially resist the pull exerted by said member, and a-counterbalancing device operatively associated with said cable for determining the pull on said cable required to actuate said last means.

5. In a device ci' the class described, the combination ci' a weighted memberI swingable means for supporting said member including a cable attached to said member, means adapted to be actuated by said cable, said member, in response to inertia being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means, a counterbalancing device operatively associated with said cable for determining the pull on said cable required to actuate said last means, said counterbalancing device including means for adjusting the required pull on said cable, spring means operatively associated with said cable for partially resisting the pull thereon, and means for adjusting the tension of said spring means.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a weighted member, means for supporting said member including a flexible resilient tube and a cable extending through said tube and attached to said member, and means adapted to be actuated by said cable; said member, in response to inertia, being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a weighted member, flexible supporting means for said member including a series of beads having a cable extending therethrough and attached to said weighted member, and means adapted to be actuated by said cable; said member, in response to inertia, being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a weighted member, iiexible universally mounted supporting means for said member including a series of beads having a cable extending therethrough and attached to said weighted member, and means adapted to be actuated by said cable; said member, in response to inertia, being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a weighted member, supporting means for said member including a swingable arm comprising a plurality of members pivotally connected to provide for universal movement of said arm, a cable attached to said weighted member, and means adapted to be actuated by said cable; said member, in response to inertia being adapted to pull said cable and cause said cable to actuate said last means.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination ot a flexible supporting means having a ilxed end and a free end; means adapted to be actuated; a weighted member at the free end of said supporting means; and a connecting means extending lengthwise along said supporting means, and having one end connected to said means adapted to be actuated and having its other end connected to said weighted member to support said fweighted member at the free end ci said supporting means; said weighted member in response to a shock being adapted to move relative to the ilxed end of said supporting means to pull said connecting means and cause it to actuate said means adapted to be actuated.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of a iiexible supporting means having a iixed end and a free end; means adapted to be actuated; a weighted member at the free end of said supporting means; a connecting means extending'lengthwise along said supporting means. and having one end connected to said means adapted to be actuated and having its other end connected to said weighted member to support said weighted member at the free end of said supporting means; said weighted member in response to a shock being adapted to move relative to the iixed vend of said supporting means to pull said connecting means and cause it to actuate said means adapted to be actuated; and resilient means operatively associated with said connecting means to partially resist the pull exerted by said weighted member.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a flexible supporting means having a fixed end and a free end, means adapted to be actuated; a weighted member at the free end of said supporting means; a connecting means extending lengthwise along said supporting means,

and having one end connected to said means adapted to be actuated andhaving its other end connected to said weighted member to support said weighted member at the free end of said supporting means said weighted member in response to a shock being adapted to move relative to the xed end of said supporting means to pull said connecting means and cause it to actuate said means adapted to be actuated; resilient means operatively associated with said connecting means to partially resist the pull exerted by said weighted member; and means for adjusting the tension of said resilient means.

WALTER S. DIEHL. 

